A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communications systems, and more particularly, to videoconferencing between entities that use multiple video standards.
B. Description of Related Art
Personal multimedia devices are devices that provide multimedia services to a user. Example of personal multimedia devices include set-top boxes and personal video recording (PVR) devices. A set-top box is a device that enables a television set to receive and decode digital television (DTV) broadcasts. Set-top boxes are frequently used to receive satellite and cable television signals. At a basic level, a set-top box will include an input connection for the television signal broadcast by the satellite or cable company, and an output connection leading to the user's television.
Some set-top boxes additionally include more advanced features, such as a network port (e.g., Ethernet) and/or other input output connections, such as a keyboard or a universal serial bus (USB) connection. With these set-top boxes, in addition to simply watching television, users may perform a number of more interactive activities, such as surfing the web and sending email.
An additional activity that may be performed in conjunction with the more advanced set-top boxes is videoconferencing. More specifically, a video camera may be connected to the set-top box through a connection such as the USB connection. Audio and video recorded by the video camera may be processed by the set-top box and then transmitted through the network port to a network, such as the Internet. At the receiving end, another set-top box may receive the video signal from the network, process the video signal into a format compatible with the receiving television, and present the video signal on the receiving television.
There are situations, however, in which different set-top boxes in the above-described video conferencing scheme are incompatible with one another. Set-top boxes in different regions of the world may use different video formats. Televisions in Europe, for example, typically use the Phase Alternation Line (PAL) analog television display standard while televisions in North America typically use the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) standard. When attempting to implement a videoconference with televisions using different standards, the received video will not be able to be appropriately displayed on the receiving television.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve video conferencing capabilities of personal multimedia devices such as set-top boxes.